Symphony No. 9 - Recognized as one of the most celebrated and profound works in western music, and considered by many to be the greatest piece of music ever written - Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is beloved throughout the world. The Ninth Symphony extols not just joy, but the capacity for joy - as well Beethoven might, since exercising that capacity through music is how he survived his own trying circumstances. The universally known text touches on his preoccupation with domestic happiness and on man’s endless quest to find his own place in the universe and a relationship with the Creator.